Sensi Las Vegas Launch News

Apr 22, 2018 03:51PM
● By Ron Kolb

To Our Friends, Partners, Fans, and Community in Las Vegas:

I am dismayed to announce that the Sensi Las Vegas launch party scheduled for Tuesday, April 24, has been postponed due to the entertainment policy of the venue where the event was scheduled to take place, Atomic Kitchen. We are currently searching for a venue that's more in line with our company mission to host Tuesday's event, as we are eager to officially celebrate the launch of Sensi Las Vegas with the local cannabis community.

To provide musical entertainment for all Sensi launch events since our inception in 2016, Sensi has partnered with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inductee DJ Lord, currently on a world tour with Prophets of Rage, a supergroup with members of Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Public Enemy, and others. DJ Lord's style is diverse and draws from the music of different cultural traditions. He is the epitome of Sensi Family, and he has been prominently featured in all of our marketing materials for the Las Vegas launch since March 19, 2018.

On late April 19, 2018, Atomic management informed us that rap and hip-hop aren't permitted at the venue when it's open to the public. This came as a shock, and not just because the Atomic team knew of our plans to bring a DJ since the start of our discussions.

While DJ Lord spins more than just rap and hip-hop, we wouldn't ever suggest he exclude these genres at any Sensi event. That's an unwarranted imposition on his artistic integrity—and an insult to his cultural heritage.

When we pushed back on the policy, the venue identified several other musical styles they would permit (like Jazz and K-Pop) and insisted that DJ Lord would not be permitted to spin rap or hip-hop on their patio during our event. We respect their right to do business as they see fit at their venue, but we don't want to do business there.

As an advocate of and partner with the Minority Cannabis Business Association, Sensi is committed to hosting events and supporting a community that values and supports individuals from all cultural backgrounds—and we are particularly cognizant of the disparate impact that the drug war has had on communities of color.

With these values in mind, we are hopeful that another venue in Las Vegas would be open to hosting our Sensi Las Vegas Launch this Tuesday, April 24. We're anticipating 700+ people and 50+ top brands at the event, including cannabis industry entrepreneurs, professionals, and consumers. Canceling this event is not a decision we come to lightly. However, as a company, we will never compromise our core values, and community mind is one of the pillars of our company culture. Our community includes everyone.

If we are unable to find a new venue for the event as scheduled, please know that we are thrilled about our new Las Vegas edition, and we will quickly plan another Sensi Las Vegas Launch event for our partners, fans, and community.